Adding a multiple entries into MYSQL field

[sonny100]

Hi there,

I was wondering if there is a way to add data into a column in MySql without deleting what's already there.

For example, if I have a column named 'Friends' with an entry of 'John' on one of the rows, how do I update this to 'John, Dave'?

I suppose I could call the current line, add it to an array with the new data and then insert it back in, but i'm wondering if there's an easier way?

Many thanks,

[bpat1434]

For what reason would you want to do that? If you want to store a relationship between a user and a friend (or a list of friends) you'd be better off with a one-to-many relationship.

A new table "Friends" would have 3 columns: id, user_id, friend.

Then you can insert into that Friends table and not worry about commas and such. Plus you could remove from the table and not have to worry about re-parsing the data.

Otherwise you could do something like:

UPDATE `tablename` 
SET `Friends` = CONCAT(`Friends`, ', {$new_friend_name}') 
WHERE `something` = 'something_else';

That's assuming you're using MySQL.